Conventionally, there has been known a tablet vessel feed apparatus for automatically feeding tablet vessels. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,061 discloses a tablet vessel feed apparatus applied to a tablet packing apparatus which has a plurality of feeder vessels containing different tablets respectively and packs the tablets discharged from each feeder vessel into a tablet vessel through a hopper.
The above described tablet vessel feed apparatus has only a construction that tablet vessels with the same size are aligned and moved beneath the hopper. Size and quantity of the tablet vary in accordance with a prescription. Therefore, in order to use the tablet vessels with the same size, the tablet vessels must have a maximum size so as to receive the maximum quantity of tablets, which is uneconomical.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tablet vessel feed apparatus which can properly feed a different size of tablet vessels.
The present invention provides, as a solution to the above-described problems with the prior art, a tablet vessel feed apparatus comprising a stock container for storing a plurality of tablet vessels, a vessel takeout section for taking out the tablet vessels from the stock container in accordance with a prescription specifying data, and a conveyor for conveying the tablet vessels taken out from the stock container by the vessel takeout section, the tablet vessel feed apparatus further comprising:
an auxiliary conveyor for conveying the tablet vessel taken out from the stock container toward the conveyor;
a delivery table for receiving the tablet vessel conveyed by the auxiliary conveyor to retain and then deliver the tablet vessel to the conveyor;
a tablet vessel sensor for detecting the tablet vessel on at least any one of the auxiliary conveyor and the delivery table; and
a controller for allowing the vessel takeout section to stop taking out the tablet vessels from the stock container while the tablet vessel sensor detects the tablet vessel.
According to the above construction of the present invention, it is possible to surely prepare only one tablet vessel before delivering the tablet vessel to the conveyor. Particularly, even in the case of taking out the tablet vessel from a plurality of stock containers containing a different size of tablet vessels, only one tablet vessel can be prepared in each stock container, whereby even if only one conveyor is provided, the tablet vessel can be properly conveyed, for example, to a tablet packing section.
It is preferable that the tablet vessel feed apparatus further comprises an indicator and a remaining quantity sensor for detecting a remaining quantity of tablet vessels in the stock container, wherein based on a detecting signal of the remaining quantity sensor, the controller allows the indicator to indicate a fact that the remaining quantity of the tablet vessels is less than a predetermined quantity. Thus, a necessary timing for replenishing the tablet vessel can be properly known. In this case, preferably, the stock container has a circular rotation member on the bottom thereof so that the circular rotation member is periodically rotated to improve detection accuracy of the remaining quantity sensor. Thus, a detection error of the remaining quantity is reduced, lightening inspection work of operator.
It is preferable that when the tablet vessel sensor can not detect the tablet vessel for a predetermined time after commencing the takeout of the tablet vessels from the stock container, the controller allows the indicator to indicate stockout of the tablet vessel.
It is preferable that the stock container comprises a plurality of containers containing a different size of tablet vessels respectively, and wherein when the controller decides stockout of the tablet vessel having a size corresponding to the prescription specifying data in accordance with a detection signal of the tablet vessel sensor, the controller allows the vessel takeout section to take out the tablet vessel of larger size than the tablet vessel of the size corresponding to the prescription specifying data. Thus, shutdown of the operation can be minimized. In this case, preferably, when the controller also decides stockout of the tablet vessel of larger size, the controller stops treating a prescription on which the prescription specifying data is based. Moreover, preferably, as the controller stops treating a prescription on which the prescription specifying data is based, the controller stores the prescription as an untreated prescription. When the tablet vessel corresponding to the stockout is replenished, the controller allows the vessel takeout section to start taking out the replenished tablet vessel to treat the untreated prescription.
It is also preferable that the tablet vessel feed apparatus further comprises a recovery box for recovering the tablet vessel on the conveyor, wherein when continuing operation after abnormal shutdown of the apparatus, the controller conducts a restoring process for allowing the conveyor to operate so that the tablet vessel remaining on the conveyor is recovered into the recovery box before restoring to normal operation. Thus, restarting the apparatus after abnormal shutdown can be smoothly conducted.